The owners of a 'blighted' house at 59 Sycamore Ave. in Bridgewater have until the end of May to begin making repairs or the Township Council will demolish it. Photo by Warren Cooper.

BRIDGEWATER — With just a few weeks left to avoid the demolition of their “blighted” house, the owners of a single-family home on Sycamore Avenue have not yet sought permits for the work.

On April 12, the Township Council gave Kethryn and Thomas Czekaj 45 days to begin work on the house at 64 Sycamore Ave. or face having the township demolish it using $20,000 the couple put into escrow at the end of 2011.

Originally “a property maintenance issue,” according to Township Administrator James Naples, the house was deemed uninhabitable by the township construction official about two years ago, and the residents were forced to move out last year.

But by April the owners had made no effort to “render the house safe,” Naples said at the time, as complaints from neighbors mounted. The building is secure and it hasn’t been a police issue, he said, but both the interior and exterior of the house are “blighted.” It has suffered significant deterioration inside and out, he said, and a portion of the roof has collapsed.

As of today, May 15, the Czekajs have not submitted applications to begin work necessary to rehabilitate the structure or tear it down, Naples said, though he’s heard that “they’re getting financing together.”

“Either they’ll remediate and fix it or it will be demolished,” Naples said today. If the township decides to demolish the house, it will likely be within a month of the deadline, he said.